Whiskeytown Relays ready, set, go — to new venue after Carr Fire

A National Park Service sign for Whiskeytown Lake and Dam is burned in two along Highway 299 in the Whiskeytown Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area on Monday July 31, 2018 near Redding, CA. The area burned as a part of the Carr Fire.(Photo: Kelly Jordan / USA Today Network)

Much of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is closed after the Carr Fire devastated the area, but that won’t stop the Whiskeytown Relays. The race still meets Sept. 23.

It just won’t be in Whiskeytown.

For the first time in its 44-year history, runners at the popular event will compete at the McConnell Foundation’s Lema Ranch in Redding.

Having the event go forward is comfort to its planners, the Shasta Wonderland Elite Athletic Team (SWEAT) Running Club. They thought they might have to cancel it, but a "last-minute permit" from the McConnell Foundation saved the race, said Sheri Richmond, SWEAT member.

Changing the venue meant a hustle to scope out a viable route, among other challenges, but planners saw similar situations.

“I’ve had to move my share of races in the past couple of years” because of flooding and fire, said John Luaces, a member of SWEAT for 20 years. “If you cancel (an annual race), it takes a long time to bring it back. It’s usually never a positive thing for a running event.”

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A sign on the abandoned Brandy Creek Beach reminds visitors not to feed the geese. However, the beach remains closed due to damage at Whiskeytown Lake due to the Carr Fire. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

A kiosk off Paige Bar Road at Whiskeytown National Recreation area provides information about the role of fire in forests. The kiosk survived the Carr Fire, but much of the surrounding forest did not. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

An information kiosk on the role of fire in the forest along Paige Bar Road at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area survived Carr Fire, but much of the surrounding forest did not. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

Another important reason to go ahead with the relays is so many Whiskeytown events have already been canceled, Luaces said. These include Whiskeytown open water swims and trail races, both this month.

Lema Ranch is a familiar running course for many of the runners who join the relays each year, Richmond said. The route is used for other annual North State race series including Sunset Through the Trees and the Frosty Fun Runs.

“That made it easier to change,” Richmond said. “We’re so grateful to the McConnell Foundation.”

Teams of two or four runners compete, running a 4-by-4-mile or 2-by-8-mile route. Each runner follows the same loop.

“We’re all stopping and starting at the same place,” Richmond said. Spectators “will be able to see all the runners” from the same location.

The race includes a fire and police award category. The other 20 categories include families, business, costumed, guy/gal and age categories.

Registration has been a bit slow, but it’s growing as word gets out the relays weren’t canceled.

“I think that what might impact it would be the smoke,” said Richmond, who thinks some runners might be waiting to see what the air quality will be closer to race day. “I have the feeling we’ll have more last-minute entries. People gear up for the relays. It’s really important.”

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Runners at the starting line of the 2017 Whiskeytown Relays at Brandy Creek Marina on Whiskeytown Lake.(Photo: Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight)

An unexpected detour

The race meets just two months after the July 23 start of the Carr Fire. Sparked from a wheel rim exposed by a flat tire near Whiskeytown, it burned 229,651 acres in Shasta and Trinity Counties before firefighters stopped it.

“I swam the East Beach two days after the fire started," said Tori Parks, SWEAT’s race director and member for 15 years. “It was just a little plume of smoke.”

Parks, a lab manager at Patients’ Hospital on Eureka Way, said the seriousness of the situation became clear that Thursday night when she and other staff had to evacuate patients from the hospital. Then came news that Whiskeytown had closed and much of it burned.

“As reality set in that the extent of the damage was severe, and the infrastructure was going to take time to restore, we came to the decision we had to either cancel or move” the relays, Parks said.

Consolation for park's fans

Whiskeytown’s devastation affected athletes who make the park their training grounds and place to play.

Moving the relays instead of cancelling is a big comfort to Richmond.

“I’d be more sad” about Whiskeytown damage “if we’d canceled it,” she said.

The continuation of the race is a comfort to Parks, too. Eighteen years ago, the Whiskeytown Relays was the first running competition for Parks, now a five-time Boston Marathon/two-time New York Marathon veteran. Her relay team was called Parks and Rec.

Whiskeytown holds other special memories for her, too.

“It’s where I went on my first date with my husband — riding mountain bikes the entire perimeter of the lake,” Parks said. “It’s okay to be sad about losing your playground.”

Fire burned hot through the area near the Princess Ditch Trail in the Swasey Recreation Area. Like most other trails in the area, the trail is still passable but there are numerous burned trees near the trail. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

A trail sign near the Oak Knoll Trailhead lies burned on the ground within the Carr Fire burned area. The Princess Ditch and Mule Ridge trails are accessed from the Oak Knoll Trailhead. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

The Westside Trails can be accessed from Kilkee Drive in the Mary Lake subdivision in west Redding. The concrete walkway leading to the hiking and biking trail is lined by temporary chain link fence placed in front of nearby homes after the Carr Fire burned through the area. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

The Wintu Trail in the Swasey Recreation Area was one of many trails that were burned in the Carr Fire. Like other trails in the burn area, there are many burned trees near the trail that could pose a hazard for falling. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

The Cloverdale Loop and Piety Hill trails both wind through the Clear Creek Greenway off Cloverdale Road. The Piety Hill Loop trail is 3.85 miles long and the Cloverdale Loop is 1.73 miles long. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

The Meiner's Loop Trail at the Swasey Recreation Area, connects with several other trails in the recreation area. The trailhead is intact, but as with most trails in the area, there are numerous burned and hazardous trees along the trail. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

The Mule Ridge and Princess Ditch trails can also be accessed from the Stony Gulch Trailhead off Muletown Road near the south side of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

Numerous fire lines cross over the Westside Trail off Kilkee Drive in the Mary Lake subdivision in west Redding. The trail is still usable, but there is some debris and hazard burned trees near the trail. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

The Luke Sheehy Fitness Area suffered some damage from a fallen manzanita tree. The fitness area is within the Swasey Recreation Area and is also part of the trailhead for the Meiner's Loop Trail. Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight

The Carr Fire wrecked this bridge on the Sacramento River Trail by burning wooden beams underneath the path. Four bridges on the trail were destroyed and a 6-mile section remains closed. City of Redding parks department

Wooden beams supporting a bridge on the Sacramento River Trail smolder after catching fire. Damage from the Carr Fire has closed a six-mile section of the popular Redding trail. City of Redding parks department

The concrete ribbon bridge on the Sacramento River Trail will be inspected for structural integrity before the public will be allowed to cross it. Burned hills in the background show the Carr Fire's devastation. City of Redding parks department

This walking trail by the parking area where South Shore Drive and Brandy Creek Road meet appears to be largely unaffected by the Carr Fire. The area is closed the public, and there are fallen tree branches are on the sides of the road on the way there. Matt Brannon

The parking lot at the corner of South Shore Drive and Brandy Creek Road, a launching ground for the Whiskeytown Triple Crown trail, is closed to the public as of Friday, Aug. 3, due to the Carr Fire. The beginning of walking trails are lightly burned but still appear walkable. The display map by one trailhead has been removed. The bathrooms are locked. Matt Brannon

This parking area for Trial 58 off Iron Mountain Road is closed to the public as officials work on Carr Fire recovery efforts. A patch next to the trail is burnt but many trees near the area are still standing. Although one fallen tree is blocking the path at the beginning of the trail. Matt Brannon

The area near the Salt Creek Trail is closed to the public as officials repair power lines and clear brush in the vicinity. This parking area off Highway 299 for Salt Creek Trail has significant burn damage and smoky air. Matt Brannon

The Middle Creek Connector Trailhead parking area off Highway 299 is closed to the public as officials work alongside the road on Carr Fire recovery efforts. The area is fairly burned with the far end of this bridge having collapsed. Fallen trees partially obscure the path to the parking area. Matt Brannon

The beginning of the Hornbeck Trail, by the Quartz Hill Railroad Trailhead, appears largely undamaged by the Carr Fire. Although the area is still inaccessible to the public, the air is not very smoky and the water fountain is in working order. Matt Brannon

A south-facing view by the Keswick Dam Parking area by Heart Rate Hill, west of the dam itself, shows significant portions of land scared by the Carr Fire. The area is inaccessible to the public as of Friday, Aug. 3. Matt Brannon

This Keswick Dam Trailhead area, west of the dam itself, is the starting point for the Trail 58 French Fry loop. The area is inaccessible to the public because of Carr Fire damage and recovery efforts. The area is largely burned and with significantly smoky air. Downed power lines are draped over a portion of a trail map. Matt Brannon

This Keswick Dam Trailhead, west of the dam, has downed power lines and significant fire damage nearby. The trailhead is inaccessible to the public. The bathroom facility near the parking area appears undamaged. This parking lot also serves as the starting point for the Trail 58 French Fry loop. Matt Brannon

The Harlan Trailhead, serving as an access point to the Sacramento River Trail at the end of Harlan Drive in the Lake Redding area, suffered some Carr Fire damage. As residents returned to the newly repopulated area on Friday, this chain-link fence wasn't blocking access to the trail. But officials have advised not to use the trail. Matt Brannon

Carr Fire damage, including fallen trees and burned-up brush, is easy to find near the Middle Creek Connector Trailhead parking area just south of Highway 299. This trail is inaccessible to the public. Matt Brannon